


Starbound

by Mona (RJ92)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: And a weird soul by monster standards, F/F, F/M, Flowey Is A Dick, LITERALLY, M/M, Platonic relationships to start for now, Reader is a fallen star, You're literally a star but you have a human body, reader has magic, tags will be added as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-04 21:22:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13373307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RJ92/pseuds/Mona
Summary: Why was it so warm? The last thing you remembered was falling then sharp explosive pain. It was a foreign feeling for you. You were, after all, a star.-----You are a star! No, not like a movie star or anything like that. You areliterallya star, fallen from the heavens into the Underground. This is your journey through it.This is an experimental story. Check it out or don't. I'm a summary, not a cop.





	1. Chapter 1

It was so _warm_.

Why was it so warm? The last thing you remembered was falling then sharp explosive pain. It was a foreign feeling for you. You were, after all, a star.

And stars don't feel pain.

They feel weightless, cold, and free. They didn't have physical bodies to feel things like the soft yellow flowers beneath you. The petals were velvety and cool against your cheek. You were face down on the patch in a small cave-like space that was much taller than it was wide. The only sound was your own breathing and the quiet distant sound of water dripping slowly somewhere else.

_Plink, plink_ , its sound was what you suspected had woken you. That was another confusing thought. Sleep was something that stars didn't really do until they were close to death. Were you dying? The idea of dying didn't bother you – everything died. You just... well, you never thought that you'd die on Earth.

Slowly you shifted on the bed of flowers until you were lying on your side. The action made you sink further into them but they somehow were able to support your weight regardless of your movement. Your eyes opened a little wider as you carefully eased up onto your hands and knees. There was a dull throbbing in your lower back and a sharper stinging sensation on the back of your head.

You must have hit it somehow on your way down to... wherever this was. Raising your head you took in the scene. There really wasn't much to see. Other than the flowers you were kneeling in the cavern was devoid of any real color. The walls were the same dark gray stone as the floor with several small holes scattered around. They were all around the same height on the walls with small cracks spreading outward.

_Bullet holes_ , your mind provided the information readily, even though you'd never actually encountered them before. The knowledge was there regardless but that wasn't much of a surprise if you thought about it. Knowledge was something that your kind were created with and admittedly you took it for granted. It was just part of you, something you'd always accepted and never questioned.

You stood and took a moment to steady yourself before stepping out of the flowers towards the nearest wall. Your fingers trailed around one of the small holes. _Magic bullets. Of course._ Because who would have a gun down here? The image of the weapon in question came to mind. You shook your head. Whatever had left these holes had not done so with a human weapon.

So what else could be down here? This place was full of magic. You could feel it all around you. It made your skin tingle and your eyes senses burned as you took it in. Your steps were quiet as you moved from wall to wall then finally stopped at the mouth of the tunnel like cave on the other side of the room.

It was dark, but there was a faint glowing light from the other end. Carefully you made your way down the hall, looking around as you walked. Your body was covered head to toe in a dark robe, the hood up over your head and covering your entire face with an unnatural darkness. Somehow, despite there being no light sources anywhere in the tunnel you could still see the path clear as day.

It lead to an intricately carved doorway at the end, two tall pillars bordering the doors and an arched carving above it.

Runes. You didn't know what they were there for. Perhaps this was a forgotten place? Maybe forbidden? You had no idea what to expect so when you stepped forward into the next room you squared your shoulders and raised your hands to hold them in a somewhat defensive position in front of you.

A small patch of grass was centered in the next room, which was smaller than the one you'd initially found yourself in, rest on a slight hill. The rest of the small room was cast into darkness so deep you couldn't see anything past the grass.

Then, with an abruptness that actually managed to startle you, the grass shifted and up popped a golden flower. It was facing away from you. For a moment you froze. Perhaps you could hide in the shadows? You didn't have the time to try before the flower spun around at the sound of your feet shuffling back half a step.

“Oh! Wowie, this is a surprise!”

The flower was talking. That... wasn't unusual, actually, was it? This place was so full of magic that you were more surprised that you hadn't been having conversations with the pebbles on the floor. You made no move and instead waited for the flower to continue.

It spread its leaves out to its sides as though and gave a friendly laugh. “Two new friends in one day! It must be my lucky day! Howdy! I'm Flowey!” It grinned at you with a wink. Magic flower or not, how did it have _teeth_? “Flowey the Flower! You must be so confused!”

You lowered your arms back down to your side. Flowey leaned forward, his stem stretching towards you. “Someone ought to teach you how things work around here. I guess little old me will have to do!”

Your brows furrowed and a small frown made its way to your face. This just reeked of a trap. There was no way that it could be anything else. You weren't born yesterday! Well, technically you supposed that this body had literally been created as you fell. Was that how that worked?

Most stars that feel to Earth didn't return to the sky so you had no way to know for sure how any of this worked. That scared you. You decided to follow your gut instinct and quickly stepped around the small flower to make your way to the door on the other side of the room.

Flowey's smile dropped a little and he looked... annoyed?

“Hey, stranger, this is some important information. You really don't want to miss any of it!” He turned to watch you and you kept your eyes glued on him in return. Not once did you face away. You did not know this creature and you didn't know what he was capable of. You would not show him your back.

Still, your steps faltered. If he really did have information on this place then it would be rather foolish of you to continue on without knowing what awaited you. He took your silence and pausing as encouragement and his happy expression returned.

“Great! Are you ready? Here we go!”

You stared down at him from where you stood, feeling an odd tightness in your chest. It was followed by a weak tugging sensation, like someone had grabbed the front of your robe and balled it up in their fist. The tugging grew stronger and stronger until, a few seconds later, a sharp ache tore from your sternum.

Light filled the room and illuminated the entirety of it. Your breath escaped in a quiet sigh. You knew your own starlight anywhere.

“Th-That's... That's not... I mean! Y-You see that h...” Flowey raised his left leaf to shield his eyes from the bright star hovering at rib level in front of you. You suspected that this was not what Flowey had expected to see when he pulled it from you. You looked through the beams to see that he was now looking really uncomfortable.

“You see that star?” He cleared his throat and got back into the groove of whatever he was going to say. It wasn't 'star', obviously, but he was going with the flow now. “That is your Soul, the very culmination of your being! Your Soul starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV.”

You reached forward and gently cupped your Soul and pulled it closer to your chest. Your fingers didn't actually touch it but your hand must have had the same polarity as your Soul since it moved without making contact.

“LV stands for LOVE! You want some LOVE, right? Don't worry! I'll be happy to share some with you!”

He sent you a wink. You had a bad feeling about this. You didn't like having your Soul exposed like this. It felt weak and vulnerable, too open. Still, if Flowey was willing to teach you about this strange new world you'd quite literally crash landed in then who were you to turn him down?

Your hand lowered but you kept it close to your chest just in case.

“Down here we share LOVE through little white... _friendliness pellets_.” Around him there were suddenly flickers of white. You felt the magic surge in the air and realized that it was the pellets. “Here. Let me share my LOVE with you. Collect as many as you can.”

The spinning discs began approaching your Soul but you sidestepped quickly. Thankfully your Soul moved with you. You watched as Flowey's friendliness pellets dissipated once they were past you. “Hey... Buddy... you missed them. Let's try again, yeah?”

A second round of pellets formed around him. He launched them faster towards you. Again you stepped out of the way and turned to him. He couldn't see your face under the shadows of your hood (that, somehow, remained there despite the literal star lighting up everything else) but your expression was one of wariness and a bit of annoyance.

“Are you joking right now? I'm trying to help you. Don't be an idiot.”

You decided you were done with this little game. His tone had dropped the fake friendly tone and his mouth was set in an irritated grimace. A third round of pellets swarmed, this set much more numerous and surrounding your form. A thread of panic lurched in your gut as you realized that you should have trusted your instinct completely.

“Unless... you know what's really going on here, don't you? You just wanted to see me suffer. Just like that brat before you...” He scowled but it morphed into a terrifying grin as he began to cackle darkly. “ **DIE.** ”

All at once the bullets rushed in. You gasped and jumped back but weren't quite fast enough. The bullets smacked into your body and your Soul.

… But nothing happened. They made impact, yes, but they seemed to sort of... dissolve? Your Soul shone brighter as the magic in each bullet was immediately absorbed.

“Th--!! That's not supposed to happen!” Flowey shrieked, summoning another wave to throw at you. You turned tail and ran, rushing through the second door. His angry cursing faded as soon as you were past it. Shakily, your hands cupped around your Soul and pressed it against your chest. The robes you wore billowed around your legs as it sank back into you. Once it was back where it belonged you felt a sense of peace wash over you.

You stumbled forward into the next room and stopped at the foot of two sets of stone steps. This room was built out of rich purple bricks and stone. Or maybe it was carved? Probably carved, you determined, since you were underground and all. You doubted anyone would cart down all of this from the surface. All the color was too uniform and even to be anything other than natural stone.

This room was warm, too. Warmer than the last ones had been for sure! You didn't spend much time looking around. You stepped forward to the large pile of red leaves nestled between the staircases and stopped when a sensation of something _familiar_ tugged at your mind. There, tiny and almost buried completely by the leaves, was a four pointed golden star.


	2. Chapter 2

It did not have the same brilliance that your own had, but it was a star nonetheless. You hesitated for only a moment before reaching out and grazing your fingertips over the edge of the uppermost point. It glimmered at your touch and sent a cool rush up your arm but otherwise nothing else happened.

You stayed there for just a few seconds longer before turning and moving up the left staircase and through the taller but more narrow door frame. There was a crooked stone plaque above it but you were unfamiliar with the language engraved on it. You knew many tongues but this was not one of them. It was probably from after you had formed. While Stars were created with knowledge already inside of them, that knowledge had limits. You simply didn't have the inherent knowledge of the world after you were made. You had to learn that the hard way.

It could have been a warning for all you knew. 'Turn back now or face certain doom!' or something like that. You'd take your chances with whatever lay in wait ahead of you rather than face Flowey again.

There seemed to be a puzzle in this next area but luckily for you it had already been solved and the path cleared. The rest of your walk showed similar progress – whoever had passed through had already cleared the puzzles and spike traps. The painted arrows around certain switches in the wall certainly helped mark the correct solutions.

You passed a sort of mannequin with several stitches on its head and torso. You didn't think it was sentient (but who were you to judge, you'd just met a violent talking _flower_!) but you dipped your head down in a silent passing greeting anyway. It made you feel a bit silly, but you'd rather be polite and non-confrontational if you wanted to make it out of these ruins in one piece.

_This is a very long hallway..._ You thought, standing at the start of the lighter purple zig-zagging path. You could see the large spike pit ahead. As you began walking, you noticed that the spikes were actually still active unlike the smaller patches you'd already encountered.

_I guess not every puzzle was solved already._ You sighed and looked around. Maybe there were markers on the walls like that one switch puzzle from before? No such luck. Oh well. You supposed you were just going to have to figure out the correct path yourself.

You awkwardly shuffled forward and eased onto the first spiked pad. To your relief, the spikes retracted into their sheaths below. You moved another step and found the same result. Curiously, you swept your foot out, only for every single spike to retreat the moment you got near!

_This isn't a puzzle at all. They're all set to go down when someone gets close. It's all for appearances. _Your shoulders sagged in relief. Oh, thank heavens! You were not good at puzzles at all.__

__With newfound confidence you strode forward in a straight line, every spiked plate clearing as you approached then popping back up behind you as you passed._ _

__From here you began noticing a few oddities. Like the large frog sort of creatures watching you from the shadows around every corner. There weren't many of them actually, and they seemed more afraid of you than you were of them. Why? You hadn't done anything to them..._ _

__At the end of the ungodly long hall you found several piles of those same red leaves and, to your surprise, another small golden star. You left this one alone in favor of moving north into a tiny side room that held a pedestal with a bowl of small round objects wrapped in colorful tissue papers._ _

__You didn't hesitate to take one – only one, like the hand written note requested, mind you – and slipped it into an inner pocket before resuming your trek through the ruins. You nodded to the large white frog and its smaller frog companion before pushing onward._ _

__You were starting to get tired. There was a lot of walking involved in this and you weren't used to having a physical body like this. You really wanted to just sit down and have a break but... you stopped walking and raised your hands up to your face. You dragged your palms across your cheeks. You noticed how cold your skin felt. Was that why this place felt so damn hot? Because your body was so cold?_ _

__Holding your hands out in front of you allowed you to take in their appearance. Your fingers were long and slender, skin the same soft white, almost silver, of the moon. It even had a shimmer to it as though your Soul was glowing beneath your skin. You also noticed a spattering of faintly sparkling freckles across the backs of your hands._ _

__You recognized the patterns. They were tiny mirror images of the constellations you called home. Your fingers curled as your resolve hardened. You would return home. No matter how long it took or how hard it would be, you would return to your beautiful sky and beyond._ _

__But for now you had to get through this. You focused on your hands for a few minutes longer. You gave your wrists a flick. A show of sparks flew from your fingertips. At least you still had your magic down here. You flicked your fingers a few more times to create more sparks which then seemed to cling to your fingers and morphed into a pair of white gloves that fit, well, like a pair of gloves!_ _

__Determination fueled your trek. Your steps were quick and light. You passed over cracked ground without trouble, through more rooms with their traps and puzzles already solved and onward even farther until you came to a small alcove with a small table and another golden star. What were the purposes of these stars?_ _

__You let your fingers linger on the top point of the star for a second then turned to the table and reached down to pick up the hard chunk of cheese on it. You turned it over in your hand a few times before kneeling down to the small mouse hole in the wall on the other side and gently placed it down just off to the side._ _

__You heard a quiet squeak which you would interpret as 'thanks'. There was an odd smell drifting in the air, sweet and crisp. Your mouth watered and you felt a weird rumbling in your belly._ _

___You're hungry._ You lowered a hand to your stomach. It grumbled quite loudly in answer. That was enough to urge you forward across another patch of red leaves and to a wooden sign post. You couldn't read the words on it but noticed two spiderwebs against the wall. Small spiders lingered on them, all of them watching you curiously._ _

__You politely dipped your head in hello to the group as you stepped forward and crouched down._ _

__None of the spiders were capable of speech, apparently. Or, at the very least, they could not speak loud enough for you to hear them. The largest spider from the group skittered closer to you and pointed a leg up towards the ceiling. You followed the direction it pointed and understood. They were selling their wares here._ _

__It was an odd spot to set up a bake sale for sure but there were a lot of creatures here. Surely they would enjoy a treat. You weren't sure exactly how much the products would cost but you rummaged in your robe to see if you had brought anything with you on your fall._ _

__To your immense surprise when you pulled your hand out of your robes you found your palm overflowing with golden coins. You lowered them to the web and watched as the spiders clamored over them and gathered up exactly 7. They then lowered a donut down from above and you accepted it, slipping it into the opposite sleeve. You weren't exactly sure where it went in there but you didn't feel it anywhere when you pulled your hand back out._ _

__The rest of the coins went to the larger web and, like the donut, a small jug of something was carefully lowered. You nodded again, this time in thanks, and moved out of the room on to the next. As you walked you sipped from the jug. You didn't know what it was but it was tasty and a little bit spicy beneath the sweetness._ _

__It helped quench your thirst. You weren't able to drink more than what amounted to two mouthfuls before you felt uncomfortably full so you corked the jug and joined it with the donut inside the apparent pocket dimension your sleeves seemed to house. That was super convenient._ _

__You made your way past the frogs here, each one croaking at you as you passed. You wished you could understand them. So far Flowey was the only creature you'd been able to actually understand. The rest of the ruins were uneventful._ _

__You did find a small toy knife on a balcony overlooking the rest of the ruins but you decided to leave it there. Something about it made a shiver of dread crawl up your spine._ _

__Finally you came to a large room with a tree near the entrance you stepped through. It bore no leaves but its roots were swimming in them. They were all bright crimson. This must be the source of all those leaf piles scattered through the rest of the ruins._ _

__You stepped around the tree slowly, circling it once then twice, before the glimmering gold star next to the front of... a house?... caught your attention. You moved over to it and, after only a moments deliberation, tapped it. It ripped then faded out of existence._ _

___The other ones didn't do that. I wonder what made this one different._ _ _

__You allowed your mind to travel through different possibilities, unaware of the door opening._ _

__“Oh! What a surprise. I was not expecting another guest so soon.” She sounded surprised, delighted, and sad all at the same time. She cleared her throat gently and stepped out from the house, folding her hands in front of her. Her dress was embroidered with the same symbol that was over every doorway in the ruins._ _

__“My name is Toriel. You made it through the Ruins without a single scratch. I am very impressed. Please, wont you come inside?”_ _

__After meeting Flowey you weren't so sure you wanted to take the risk but she seemed so genuine. Silently, you nodded and cautiously allowed her to escort you into the house._ _


	3. Chapter 3

Toriel's house was much brighter than the Ruins just outside the door. While the exterior was a rich purple, the inside was different hues of soft browns and golds. The floor was made of sturdy wood panels, varying in length from just a few inches to nearly a meter long. It was like a patchwork quilt, no two pieces the same length but somehow the exact same shade of brown.

You stepped to the side as Toriel followed you in and closed the door behind her. She did not lock it. Actually, the door didn't appear to have a lock of any kind on it. She must not get very many guests in here. The creatures you'd seen in the rest of the Ruins were either too short to reach the door handle or lacked hands to open it.

The house was warmer than the Ruins, a fact that you found a bit frustrating. You'd thought that it would be cooler inside but the fire crackling in the hearth, built with bricks that might have actually been made out of real gold if their color was any indication, made the interior of the home much warmer than you'd expected. There was a sturdy looking beige armchair tucked alarmingly close to the mouth of the fireplace and a bookshelf with three overloaded shelves to the right of it. An array of tools for the fireplace was tucked into the corner of the room.

You noticed the hallway to the immediate right was long and brightly colored. Several potted plants lined the walls but you didn't move to explore. This was not your home.

Toriel was several feet taller than you and you certainly felt that difference in height now. It felt odd looking up at something, or in this case some _one_ , after almost a millennia of looking down at everything from the sky.

“Welcome to my home, my child.” Toriel spoke warmly, gently ushering you past the staircase railing into the living room. You couldn't help but notice that there were three chairs around the dining table. Two large chairs clearly meant for adults and one much smaller chair. Did Toriel have a husband and child here? Maybe that was why there were three bedroom doors down the hall.

“I am delighted to have you. Make yourself at home, dear. I shall make a pot of tea.” She laid a large hand-paw on the middle of your back and used the other to pull one of the large wooden seats out from the table. You hesitated for a moment but settled quickly once she gave you another friendly smile. You couldn't help but wonder why it looked sad.

There were no decorations in the living room. It was... barren. You had thought that, by the sight of the child sized dining chair alone, there would be paintings or photos on the walls.

_She must be lonely here. I hope I can help her feel... less lonely? Uh..._ You knew of humans and the surface but you knew nothing about these creatures. You didn't want to call them monsters but they, the frogs, giant wasp-like insects, Flowey, and now Toriel, were clearly neither human nor animal... but humans had stories about monsters and beasts.

You'd never heard of any being inside a mountain. You know, for a being created with knowledge at its fingertips, you weren't very knowledgeable about any of this. That did not please you. Weren't you supposed to be wise and smart? The humans of more ancient times had often gazed up at you and your brethren and used your lights to guide themselves across the world. They made wishes and gave you names.

Perhaps Toriel's books would have answers? You looked over at the bookshelf then at the entrance to the kitchen that Toriel had vanished through. From your seat you could see a large fridge next to a sink, but nothing else from your position. You could hear her moving around and the quiet clinking of metal and the quickly boiling water inside the kettle.

Slowly you stood from the chair (it was too big for you anyway, making you think of one of those human fairy tales that you'd heard one night a long time ago... something about three bears and a little girl?) and lightly stepped over to the books.

_Oh. Right, I... I can't read any of these..._ You could read, of course you could, but the language that these books were all written in were the same language that all the signs in the Ruins were. _I can at least look through some of them and see if there's any pictures._

And there were! The first shelf of books was actually all picture books. You studied each one quickly and carefully, flipping through them a few pages at a time. You held a book for only a few seconds before putting it back and moving onto the next. You didn't hear Toriel come up behind you until she was almost on top of you.

“Do you like to read?”

You jerked back in surprise, fumbling with the book currently held in hand. It slipped from your fingers and hit the floor with a thud. You stooped down to pick it up and cradled it close to your chest. Now facing Toriel, you shook your head.

“No? What a shame. Books are such a wonderful thing. We can look through some of them after our tea, if you'd like.” She moved to the table and you followed at a slower pace, still holding the book against you. She waited for you to sit down before placing a small plate on the table in front of you next to a delicate looking cup.

“This is my special blend. I do hope you enjoy it.” Toriel raised her own cup to her mouth and took a long sip from it. The steam coming from the tea obscured her sight. You copied the motion, not even thinking before doing it. As a result? … Well, you now knew that tea could be really, _really_ hot. You scalded your tongue and let out a pained squeak.

“Ah!” You set the cup down quickly but carefully, trying not to let any of the golden brew slosh over the rim. Your mouth felt like it was sizzling. You warily eyed the cup as your hand rose up and vanished into the darkness of your hood. Your fingertips pressed softly against your lips then two slipped into your mouth to touch the burn on your tongue.

“Ah... hhahh..” Wait, that was you making that noise... and there was something wet on your cheeks. You pulled your fingertips from your mouth and pressed them against a cheek. When you lowered them down and looked, you realized that it was actually _tears_. You were _crying_. That burn had actually hurt.

You didn't think you'd ever get used to experiencing pain. You decided that you were going to return to the sky, one way or another, and become a Star again. You just... had no idea how to do it.

“Did you burn yourself? Oh dear. Are you alright, my child?” Toriel reached over and took your small hand in her much larger paw. You looked up at her and slowly nodded.

Toriel paused and watched you for a moment before looking down to your cup and the book next to it. “I... forgive me for asking this, my dear, but... can you not speak? You seem to understand me just fine, but your vocal skills are.... You are very quiet.” She didn't want to offend you by asking, but you'd made no attempt to join in her conversation attempts.

“Ah.” Was that the only thing you could say? No. You shook your head again, more firmly this time. You thought about the way that her mouth moved when she spoke. The way Flowey's mouth had moved. “Very quiet. Understand.. just fine... Not speak.” Success! Sort of. Your voice was so quiet that for a moment you weren't sure you'd even spoken at all. Even what you had said was just mimicry and not really talking.

“I see.” Toriel smiled again and allowed you to pull your hand back. “You know, I always wanted to be a teacher. Perhaps you would be interested in learning how to speak properly? That is, I mean to say, if you wish to stay here with me? … Please?”

She sounded so hopeful. You glanced to the small chair across from you at the table and suddenly the fading burn on the surface of your tongue didn't feel as painful as the loneliness Toriel must be experiencing.

You reached for her hand and gave it a soft squeeze in answer.

“Interested in learning. Stay here... Please.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4! In this chapter we start to notice something... odd...
> 
> Also, I hate to say it, but I might have to pause my stories for a while. I fell Thursday morning and busted my knee and left wrist up pretty bad. Not broken, but got some definite deep muscle bruising going on. Let's just say that I went down *hard* and I'm still feeling it 3 days later.

You stayed with Toriel for six months. At least, that's what you thought at first. It felt like it had been much longer. Truthfully, without the openness of space and the movement of planets and their position to the central star (“The sun,” you'd told yourself upon finding the diagram in one of Toriel's _very_ old astronomy books... which were, in fact, so very old that they depicted the planet as a flat disk! You were too polite to tell her otherwise...) of their solar system, it was difficult to tell the passage of time in the Underground.

Toriel had taught you how to read and write the common language you'd found down here. You, in return, had actually taught her your own language. Although she could now understand it whenever you spoke it to her, she was unable to speak it in reply. It made sense. She did not have the type of magic required for it and, even if she did possess it, she literally did not have the physical ability. It was difficult to explain but she had eventually accepted it.

You'd soon realized why six months had felt much longer.

The sense of deja-vu had happened so frequently that you'd not even questioned it. It hadn't happened during your travels through the Ruins but had begun soon after you'd started staying with your friend. After what must have been the hundredth deja-vu you found yourself able to recount the events leading up to it.

You'd known what Toriel would be preparing for breakfast and the exact count of bites it would take to consume it – both your own and hers. You knew how much tea would be in the kettle before Toriel had even made it. Everything that had happened that day had happened a hundred times before... and you didn't know why or how.

It bothered you.

You loved Toriel. She was a mother to her very core. She doted on you and she trusted you. You'd made no attempt to leave in that six months, despite your desire to return to the stars. She'd been so happy that you'd chosen to stay with her. You were happy that you could help her feel less lonely.

It was over a breakfast of grilled water sausages, eggs, a roll made from echo flower flour that shared its vibrant blue color, and the same golden flower tea you'd come to adore, that you'd voiced your curiosity about the deja-vu. Toriel had looked at you like you'd grown a second head. No, that wasn't accurate. For all she knew you really did have two heads. You'd never once removed your robe or lowered the hood on it. She didn't even know what you looked like.

She looked at you like you'd told her a really bad joke. Like, _really_ bad.

“I'm not sure I understand, my dear. Deja-vu?” You were both seated at the dining room table eating and sipping tea. You dipped your head in answer and reached for the kettle of tea on the table between your plates. You refilled her glass in silence before filling your own as well.

“Yes. I feel this sense of.... knowing what's going to happen? Before it happens. I'm not sure how to explain it exactly, but it's like....” You tapped your index finger gently on the side of your mug. “I feel that I've experienced this before, many times. If that makes sense?” You looked up at her to find she looked just as confused as you felt.

“Perhaps you have? Who is to say that you have not already gone through today already? Maybe you've dreamed it?” She lifted her own mug and took a long sip from it.

You mirrored her then cut the water sausage on your plate into bite sized pieces. You had just taken one onto the end of your fork when she spoke again.

“I'm not sure I understand, my dear. Deja-vu?”

“... What?”

“Pardon? You asked about it, correct?” Toriel smiled to you and picked up the kettle to refill your mugs. When had they emptied? You watched her pour then looked to your plate. Your sausage was no longer in bite sized pieces. A chill suddenly coiled around your spine like a snake.

This was more than just deja-vu. This was magic. Something very wrong was happening here.

“.. Yes, I suppose I did. It isn't important. I.. I'm afraid my appetite isn't quite as large as I'd thought. May I please be excused?”

 

The rest of the day had passed quickly but when you were just slipping into bed for the night you'd quite abruptly found yourself back at the kitchen table, repeating the conversation with Toriel.

It happened again. And again. _And again._

You'd tried changing your daily routine. Small things to start, like leaving the book on the table instead of putting it away when you were done reading it. Things like eating the sausage on your plate first instead of your eggs, or choosing not to eat at all. Once you'd gone the entire day in your room. Another time you'd left the house after breakfast and gone through the Ruins only to return to the table again.

You'd done a good job at keeping your concern to yourself but when the reset happened once again you understood that nothing you did was going to effect it. You figured it would all just reset again anyway, so you weren't too worried when you'd stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the basement.

You knew what to expect. Toriel had told you, after two months of staying here, about the basement and the door leading to the rest of the Underground. She taught you of the humans that had fallen from the surface before you and their fates. She told you of Frisk, though you would not know the child's name until much later, and their determination to leave the Ruins.

Determination. She'd said that it was something that humans possessed that monsters simply didn't. Maybe... Maybe it was the newest human child that was causing this. Determination, from what you could understand, was powerful magic on its own. It could very well be exactly what was causing these resets to happen.

You squared your shoulders and took a deep breath. Instead of starting down the stairs you turned on your heels and marched down the hall to Toriel's bedroom door and knocked. You could not leave her without explanation. Part of you expected another reset anyway, but guilt gnawed at you to at least talk to her before you left.

“Oh! What is it, dear?” Toriel opened her bedroom door and stood in the frame. She was so tall that her horns were just a centimeters from scraping the top of it. You found yourself looking up at her and hated yourself for what you were about to do.

“Dear? Is... Is everything alright?” She placed a paw gently onto your shoulder. You slowly exhaled and reached up to softly wrap your fingers around hers. Nodding, you pulled her hand away and held it in front of you.

“Do you trust me, Tori?” Your question was met with a warm smile. She nodded, no hesitation at all, and answered yes, she does trust you. “Okay... I.. there's something I need to do... a-and to do it, I have to... I have to leave... but...”

“But....?”

Tears burned your eyes. “But I don't want to. I want to stay with you. I.. I don't want you to be lonely again.” Toriel fell silent. You could see her own eyes glistening with tears and that just made you hate yourself even more. After what felt like hours, but was really only a few (very long) seconds, she stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her.

“Will you come back to see me?”

Your breath hitched in your throat and you choked out a quiet, but firm, “Yes, of course. I promise.” before you felt her arms wrap around you in a tight hug. For once you didn't mind the heat of her magic surrounding you. You would have given almost anything to stay in her embrace in that moment... but you had something important you needed to do and it was time sensitive.

“Then I shall look forward to your return, my child. Come. If you are to leave the Ruins then you must be prepared for whatever you may find beyond it.”

You didn't know what to expect but you knew that Toriel did. She packed a small bag for you containing a few articles of clothing (you weren't sure why since you never took off your robe... you weren't sure you even could, honestly) and some small items that might be useful. A first-aid kit, a bottle of bright yellow powder, a tin of her favorite golden flower tea leaves, and a bag the size of your fist filled with coins.

You tucked it all away neatly. She had even packed a rectangular box with various food items for your travels. It didn't fit in your bag so you slipped it into your sleeve. It, like everything else you had put in there before it, simply vanished into whatever magical void held it all. You pulled the bag over your shoulder and let it come to rest on the opposite hip.

You were ready. It was time to go.

The way down the basement stairs and awkwardly long hall beneath the house was silent. She lead you to the stone door at the end. The goodbye (“For now.”) was somber and quiet. There was no fight. You promised, again, that you would return to see her as soon as you could. She didn't ask why you suddenly had to leave, she just trusted you to know what you were doing.

 

The stone door groaned closed behind you. The sound made your throat constrict painfully. You would see her again. You'd promised.

Up ahead there was another long tunnel. The stone was the same purple as the rest of the Ruins but you noticed that there was a glow at the end of it. You took a moment to collect yourself then pushed onward. Your steps were quick but not very confident. You made it down the hall and into the following room.

You froze.

“You must think you're real clever, don't you?” Flowey sneered from his little patch of grass between you and the exit. He looked at you with contempt. “So you were able to stay with her for so long. Big deal. It's going to get harder from here on out.” He spat a white pellet at the wall. It bounced off with a sharp _ping_. “You're not like the kid though. When you die out there, you can't just reset and try again... and when you die, I'll be there. It's only a matter of _time_.”

He blipped down into the grass and vanished. Undeterred, you continued onward through the brick pillars at the end and, with a final glance back to the start of the hall, you pushed the final door open and stepped through.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Chapter 5. This is the last chapter I currently have written. With my wrist the way it is right now, it may very well be a while before I have the next chapter ready to go. My apologies. I know people are enjoying this-- I enjoy writing it, as well!
> 
> I'm also trying to get the next chapter of The Magic in You finished too, but I fear I may have written myself into a corner. The current chapter is almost done, but I'm going back through it to try and iron out some plot-hole stuff.
> 
> Anyway~
> 
> *slides chapter 5 to you*
> 
>  
> 
> Btw, check out my [Tumblr](https://drhughgrection.tumblr.com/)! Updates for both stories, Undertale content, and more!

The cold that wrapped around you immediately upon stepping out from the Ruins was an unexpected but welcome surprise. This was more your style. You'd gotten used to the heat of the Ruins but you realized now that you were no longer surrounded by it that you'd been uncomfortable the entire time. It felt odd that you hadn't noticed it before now.

Maybe it was because you'd literally gone crash landed into the Underground, going from an incorporeal existence to having a physical body. You simply hadn't realized that it wasn't normal to _not_ feel the way you had. It was obvious now that you were immediately more relaxed in this frigid forest.

_Where exactly... am I?_

You tugged your hood a little further down over your head as you slowly turned. Right then left. Pause. There was a large snow covered bush to your left but you didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about it. You turned more until you were facing the rich purple stone door you came out of.

You felt your heart thud hard. There was a sudden lump in your throat. After a moment, you stepped forward and pressed your hands against the delta rune carving. The door was much warmer than you expected; that explained why there was no snow at the bottom.

You didn't really understand how the door could be a constant warmth when it was facing a frozen forest on this side. You eventually decided to just chalk it up to magic, like everything else.

You must have stood there for several minutes. Taking a deep breath, you stepped back and turned. Out of the corner of your eye you saw a quick blur of soft blue but it was gone before you could get a proper look.

You pulled your hood a little tighter around your face and started moving forward. Your feet crunched quietly in the snow, barely leaving any footsteps behind. Not that you bothered to turn and look. No, you kept your eyes trained forward and your path straight.

Until, at least, you came to the short wooden bridge surprisingly close to the entrance to the Ruins. You weren't sure how deep the chasm under it actually was, but it was so dark that you couldn't actually see more than a few feet down. Curiously you leaned over the edge just a bit for a better look but didn't allow yourself to get too close.

You shuffled a foot around in the snow and kicked a clump of compacted ice over the edge. It sailed into the gaping pit and you waited with baited breath for the thunk of it hitting the floor.

The thunk never came.

… but a loud crack behind you did.

_NOPE, NOPE, NOPE_

Immediately you jumped back from the edge and over to the bridge, wasting no time to look behind you and see whatever it was that made the noise. With your apparent luck it very well might be Flowey again and you'd rather _not_ have a murderous weed following you.

Your boots made dull thudding sounds as you ran across the bridge (that was surprisingly sturdy). You had to duck your head to avoid hitting the broken beam hanging a few inches from the top of the badly constructed gate. The splintered wood snagged the top of your hood and yanked it back a few inches.

You didn't stop to straighten it. Several locks of startlingly _white_ hair sprung from the confines of the hood, standing out in bright contrast to the ebony color of your robe. You faintly heard a buzzing noise behind you, felt a tingle of magic zip around your left side.

You risked a glance back but saw... nothing? You came to a sudden halt, snow flying around your feet as you spun to face the direction you'd come. You'd crossed a good distance in your haste. The Ruins door was an indistinct purple rectangle.

For a few seconds you considered back-tracking. Hadn't you passed a few small structures? There might be some clues about where exactly you were in them if you did go back...

No. You would push onward. You had no time to waste! But... You glanced to the side, half expecting to see Flowey pop up out of the snow. A quick glance in the other direction showed a wall of trees towering over you but they were farther away. There was a structure tucked close to the trees that looked to be made out of, uh... cardboard?

It was lopsided and leaned heavily to its left. The roof was two pieces of plywood supporting themselves through sheer pressure. A layer of snow rest undisturbed on top. A thin scrap of wood was glued to the front under the large opening cut into the front.

You moved closer to it and peered inside. It was empty for the most part except for a small stool tucked into the back corner. It smelled strongly of burned bread, reminding you of the first attempt you'd made at cooking with Toriel.

You looked down to the ground. Dark crumbs and ash littered the floor, remnants of whatever was producing the burned scent. Half of a bone shaped dog treat was the only thing you could really make out in the dark interior.

After a few more minutes of inspection you figured you'd seen all this little shack had to give. Underneath the stench of burned dog treats you noticed something a little more musty but you couldn't place what it was from.

You circled the shack once just to make sure there was nothing important you were missing. Nothing except another pile of treats off to the side. You paused long enough to pick up one that was neither broken nor burned and tucked it away into your sleeve. It might be useful later, who knows?

“need a light?”

You hand catches in your sleeve as you jerk around. The force from the spin combined with the yanking motion you'd made causes your arm to swing around faster than you expected. Simultaneously you lose your footing on the loose snow below and go tumbling backwards into the shack.

**CRASH**

You find yourself staring straight up at the angled ceiling, your knees jammed to your chest and your arms awkwardly positioned – one hooked painfully under your back and the other clutching desperately at the opening you'd fallen through.

As if to add insult to injury, the stool in the corner had been dislodged and came down after teetering precariously on two legs. The edge of the seat hit your forehead with a dull thud. Pain blossomed behind your eyes.

From outside the tiny shack you could hear wheezing as the stranger attempted to breathe through bouts of unrestrained laughter.

“h.. holy crap, kid, didn't mean to make you jump outta yer skin like that.”

You twist around until you're sitting upright inside the shack. Shakily you reach for the fallen stool and stand it upright, then use it as a support to ease yourself back up onto your feet. Your heart was fluttering so fast in your chest you could have mistaken it for a hummingbird.

You wait, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, for him to stop laughing at you. Humiliation burned in your gut and colored your face behind your hood. Shame, too. You felt like you'd been caught doing something naughty.

“haha... ah... sorry about that, kid.”

He shuffles out of sight around the side of the shack. A second later he opens a narrow door (which is more of a sheet of wood screwed onto the exterior wall with a set of hinges) and steps back after gesturing for you to come out.

You hesitate but decide you'd rather face him in the open instead of being literally cornered. He closes the door behind you and shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

“I... It's alright. It was my fault.” You eye him skeptically. Toriel had told you that monsters resided outside of the Ruins. Not monsters like the Froggits and Whimsums of the Ruins. She had been correct – this monster was a skeleton. “I was being nosy. My apologies.”

“eh, forget about it. No harm done.” He falls silent but his grin doesn't falter for a second. How was he grinning without lips? For that matter, how was he moving at all without muscle and sinew and all that gross physical stuff to pull his bones?

“magic.”

You flushed again, though he couldn't see it. You lifted your hands close to your chest and clasped your fingers together. A nervous habit. It made you feel a little more secure by having your hands close to your Soul. Maybe you thought that you could keep other monsters from pulling it out like Flowey had if you covered it.

“Did I say that out loud?” He half-shrugged. “Ah... um...”

Oh stars, he was staring at you. Quick! Do something!

You internally panicked. Then, before you could lose what was left of your courage, you thrust a hand out to him. On purpose this time instead of swinging it around wildly.

He stiffened almost imperceptibly at the sudden action but only for half a second. “hah.. seems like you know how to greet a new pal. The name's sans. Sans the skeleton.”

**PPPBBBBTTTtttttt....**

He snorted quietly. “the old whoopie cushion in the hand trick. It's always funny.”

“... Of course.” You smiled. “Always.” You drew your hand back, not actually finding it funny at all. Such humor was lost on you. Sans seemed to realize this. He shrugged, shoved his hand back into his pocket, and arched a browbone at you when you just... stood there.

“so... you with the kid?” He might have been able to keep his tone relaxed, but you noticed how his eyelights had darted off to the path extending further beyond the trees.

“Kid?” You were surprised. “Ah... No. I can't say that I am. I haven't met a kid.” But you knew who he was talking about, even if he hadn't said their name. You still didn't know their name either – Toriel had said the child was mute, like you had been when she'd first met you.

“cool, cool. So hey, you're a human, aren't ya? That's hilarious. Y'know, i'm supposed to be on the lookout for humans... not much for huntin' humans though. My brother, though? Human hunting fanatic. He's already met the kid though. Fast friends and all that... but i'm sure he'd love to meet another human.”

You didn't mind being mistaken for a human, but you really didn't want to let him think you were something you weren't. Still, you would let him believe what he wanted for now.

“he's probably off showing the kid his puzzles.” Sans looked up at you again, his smile a little less forced. “c'mon, i'll introduce ya...”

That.. didn't make much sense. He just said his brother hunted humans and he wanted to _introduce_ you to him?? What?!

“what's the holdup?”

Sans stood a short distance away, head turned back towards you. When had he moved? You drew your arms closer to your sides and walked stiffly to him. “When you say he 'hunts' humans...” Your hand lifted to the lock of white hair that had fallen loose from beneath your hood, fingers twisting and curling through the soft tresses.

“huh? oh... don't worry. He's harmless, really, just real enthusiastic. 'sides, if you're that worried, just remember that he's got the kid to keep him busy.”

Right.. because that made you feel _so_ much better about this. Then, suddenly, you paused mid-step. The kid! That must be the last child that had fallen. The one that Toriel had told you about.

Boisterous NYEH-HEH-HEH-ing from around the bend in the path startled you from your realization.

Time to meet this mysterious brother and the kid. You wondered if they (the child) would live up to Toriel's expectations.

Here we go.


End file.
